When love's made strong roots you not only can see it but you can feel it as well. When I first met Ashley and Nate an overwhelming feeling of happiness was present in the room. They had a glow! A glow that never once faded even a year after our first meeting when they arrived at Keswick Vineyards on June 11th to say "I do".

Much like when I first met this couple, Ashley and Nate had a mutual feeling of a connection when they met for the first time. Life took them to opposite ends of the country but they had an unspoken agreement to "chat daily, write weekly and travel monthly" to build their relationship. A few years down the road, a few dozen plane rides, and what I'm sure were countless amounts of chats they found themselves together in DC buying a home and starting a life. From there, they were goners and on a mid December day Nate popped the question and Ashley, of course, said yes!

Our amazing vendor friends made Ashley and Nate's day as memorable as their love story. With the right combination of the perfect venue, creative wedding decor, beautiful blooms, award winning wine, gourmet food, a full dance floor, and late night cupcakes any wedding can be as dreamy as this one!

It’s a well-known fact (I think) that Keswick Vineyards is a very family run establishment. After all, their daughter married our wine maker and was our first wedding here at the vineyard! But, did you know Cindy and Al are also accepting applications for new children? Neither did I! Blair and Trey won over Cindy and Al’s hearts quickly and they “joined the family” as their adopted children way back in December of 2014 when they first laid eyes on Keswick Vineyards.

On June 10th they tied the knot in front of both their real and adopted families! The couple decided on our vineyard location, which puts them right in the vines with the mountains in the background. It was perfect for the beautiful June day we had!

Personal touches of their Virginia roots were incorporated into their wedding, all from their down home catered cooking to their handmade wooden bench which was their guestbook friends and family signed. But what’s a family without pets, am I right? Blair and Trey clearly were very much so in love with one another and with their dogs! Their pups made a surprise appearance after their ceremony and Cindy captured a happy family photo of the four of them. We’ll be seeing all of them on Sunday’s for our Yappy Hours I’m sure!

What’s a party without Gatsby? Nothing according to this couple! Kayla and Jake came all the way from Arizona to celebrate their wedding day on Sunday, June 5th with a Great Gatsby glitz and glam theme for them and their guests to enjoy. Elegance was key (along with feathers, pearls, and gold!)

Being Jewish, they held a traditional Jewish ceremony underneath of our very glammed up Sperry tent. A chuppah is the structure you see on our dance floor. That’s where Kayla and Jake shared their vows with themselves, their loved ones, and with their Rabbi. Chuppah’s are four legged structures with a ceiling that represent the home and the life couples make with one another after marriage. Kayla and Jake dressed theirs with beautiful drapery and floral arrangements made by Plantscapes. It was beautifully done and it truly brought to life their ceremony. Their Rabbi also helped contribute to this (in more ways than one). He must’ve been a comedian in his past life! He had guests all laughing when he whipped out his cell phone to take a selfie with the couple mid ceremony. I guess that’s 2016 for ya!

Catering was a special part of their wedding day as well. The owners of the catering company for their big day was her sister and brother-in-law. They did both the food and that beautiful five tiered cake. It was massive and the white petals you see intricately placed were all made of sugar! At first glance, I was fooled.

From one venue to another, great job to all Charlottesville area wedding venues for making it through the first week of June! We all experienced some tricky weather but word on the street is we all made it out alive! We were particularly lucky over here at Keswick Vineyards being so close to our forever-saving mountains. Throughout the years, our mountains have been known to break up any incoming rain patterns and this weekend was no exception.

Regardless of our luck, however, we prepare. Our team diligently looks at the radar and play "storm watchers" so that we know almost down to the minute when our sunshine is going to go away. For Kate and Shawn's wedding on June 4th this was also the case. We prepared for both Plan A and Plan B so that no matter what we were all ready to go! Church style seating was setup underneath of the Sperry tent for that "just in case" scenario...but by the grace of our glorious mountains WE DIDN'T NEED IT! Kate and Shawn were married outside, with beautiful weather. It was sunshine, soft clouds, and smiles all around.

The good vibes continued throughout the night with personal touches the couple incorporated into their wedding. My favorite? Jenga! Guests were encouraged to sign jumbo jenga pieces in lieu of a guestbook as a keepsake for the couple. We loved it! More childlike elements came into play along the way. Towards the end of the night guests indulged on delicious s'mores and had more to take home as their favors!

One detail we really enjoyed was Kate and Shawn's decorated bicycles with Just Married signs and tin cans on the ends. Adorable. Clever. Cute. Something we definitely hope to see more of throughout our wedding season!

It’s always been pretty impressive how couples hear about Keswick Vineyards. The responses I get from couples inquiring have been all over the board. We have our locals, we have our East coasters, we have our Texans…and now we have our Utah-ers.

Leslie and Jeff got married the Tuesday after Memorial Day and came in with their intimate group of friends and family to celebrate in Virginia at Keswick Vineyards. When I asked how she heard of us, she said one word “Google!” I laughed and smiled. I knew we’d get along great after that!

Though this was a small group of people, the couple truly treated everyone and made it a very grand affair. Black and white was the dress code. Greys were acceptable and red lipstick was encourage. Cindy and I had no problem following to code! Their black and white affair looked amazing underneath of our Sperry tent. They dressed the tent up with bistro lights and chandeliers which really made the night sparkle! Underneath of the tent was divided (a great idea for smaller weddings). They had dinner seating on one side, the bar setup in the center, and lounge furniture, cocktail tables, and a caricature artist on the other side. Guests love the feeling of “areas” they were allowed to explore all while being under one “roof”.

Jeff’s children were a big part of both their ceremony and reception. They had a sand ceremony to symbolize the blending of them all into one cohesive unit and the children designed special groom’s cakes (3 to be specific) just for their dad as a surprise! It was clear that family was of the most importance from the start and this brought it all full circle.

Alison and Justin hold a special place in the hearts of the Schornberg’s. Not only are they one of our beloved Keswick Vineyards couples, but Alison also teaches at their daughter’s dance school! I knew Charlottesville was a small town, but it’s always a treat to witness that first hand.

That being said, Alison herself was also a dancer since the age of three. Dancing has always be an important part of her life. I don’t know about you, but when I think of dancing I think of a show. Dancing to me is bringing to life something visually. To me, Alison and Justin did just that on their wedding day. They put on a show!

They turned the tent into a 1920’s vintage dream. To start, they swapped out the dance floor. Of course! They switched our wooden dance floor to a black and white tile. They knew that would really bring their guests front and center. Alison and her family kick started the fun by starting the party off with a dance they used to do when she was a little girl. It was a huge hit and tugged at those heart strings while they all took a walk down memory lane. After that…it was a party!

To add to the fun, Alison and Justin had a local artist create a handmade paper moon which they then used as their photo booth. Guests “sat on the moon” and snapped photos of themselves for the couple to remember and look back on all the days of their lives.

Katie and Erik (now Mr. and Mrs. Rogers) were our second couple celebrating their love with us over Memorial Day weekend. Having known one another since the third grade, their vows nearly brought tears to our eyes. “You were always right in front of me,” Katie said. It truly touched everyone’s hearts.

When I first met Katie, I could immediately tell how much life and brightness she had to her. Her wedding day was no exception! The couple had bright, bold, and glittery accents to their wedding day décor. Hot pink, tangerine, and lemon were the main colors…so citrus in sum! How fun! What I really loved the most were their centerpieces. White lanterns with colorful florals and greenery surrounding them. What’s even better were the twinkle lights intertwined around the floral wreath! During the day they were breathtaking, and even better once the sun went down. It was important to the couple that even on a cloudy day there would be color and life to such a memorable day in their lives. Even though there wasn’t a cloud in sight, it worked!

Katie was a crafty one and incorporated an element to her wedding we had never seen before. Do you remember those rubber toy animals you played with as a child? I do. Now, imagine them painted gold and holding your guest seating cards. Clever! We will definitely be sharing the idea with more of our couples to come.

A dear friend of the family officiated Katie and Erik’s wedding. She also was the mastermind behind their beautiful naked cake! It was dressed in, of course, more bright and beautiful citrus accents. Lemons, limes, and other fresh fruits and mint. Not only was it visually stunning, but tasty as well!

We had so much fun celebrating with Matt and Suparna for their Indian fusion wedding. Not only was it a great celebration of their love, but of their lives in general. Their family and friends came from all over the world…quite literally…to be there with them. East coast, West coast, India and more! It was beautiful to see the collaboration of family and friends for such a memorable occasion.

My favorite part of fusion weddings are the colors and the cultural attire. The couples wedding party delivered on both counts! The majority of the bridal party wore bright and vibrant saris. Check out those colors! Seeing them next to the men in their tuxedos was picture perfect.

After their ceremony, Matt and Suparna took a private moment alone in the Carriage House. This is something we encourage all of our couples to do. Take a moment, soak it in, and relax! It’s always nice when catering brings you a newlywed platter of appetizers and wine too.

By now you may be wondering…”what is floopy?” Great question. I don’t even think we really know! Suparna and her maid of honor have been friends for years. During her maid of honor speech, she made reference to how she knew her and Suparna would be friends for life. It all boiled down to a word both of them swear they invented, that being “floopy”. While one thinks it’s a term for happy the other thinks it’s a term for laziness. Put both of these girls in a room together and they’ll argue over the make-believe dictionary definition of the word. Clearly this friendship will last the test of time!

All others aside, wedding days couldn’t be completed without the help from our awesome vendors. That night we had fun with one of our favorite caterers C&O! They dished out a delicious plated meal and flambéed one of Cindy’s personal favorites, Banana Foster. Serve that with vanilla ice cream and you had some very happy guests!

We love seeing couples of all types come to the vineyard. The mixture and diversity we have throughout our wedding season always brings new light to the traditional wedding. But really, what is tradition? Everyone, of course, has traditions but tying them into wedding days are extra special for us!

Pear and Phuong celebrated their wedding incorporating Thai classics. During their ceremony they had a Thai water ceremony, which had their elders bless them joining into one. It was beautiful how they blended this element into their ceremony and it was apparent how special this was to their families and everyone watching as well.

A Pimento came to Keswick Vineyards for the first time ever and truly made their entrance with a bang! Their team absolutely flourished throughout the day and we thank them for their precise attention to detail. It became apparent that Pear and Phuong were all about precision. A Pimento took their cues and made them shine throughout their entire wedding day. We particularly loved their head table. It was a statement piece. Lush greenery lined the center of their head table with twinkling lights and gold rimmed plates were the perfect way to plate their meal. It's the little things!

Not only did A Pimento contribute to the amazing aesthetics and delicious food, they also made the cake! A naked one at that! Each flower was so delicately hand placed by Robert, the owner, himself! I loved watching his attention to detail knowing how awesome the end result would be. That’s what this industry is all about! In addition to wedding cake the couple opted for donuts...Duck Donuts to be specific, which have a more cake like texture to them. Guests loved them! (And so did we!)

Later in the evening the couple and their guests changed into tradition Vietnamese attire (called ao dai) and danced the night away. We loved seeing those bright colors that really showcased their culture!

From the moment Khayman and Victoria laid eyes on Keswick they knew nothing else would ever compare. Likewise, from the moment they laid eyes on our over 300 year old oak tree, they also knew nothing else would ever compare. They quickly fell in love with both the property and the tree. So much so, in fact, that not only did they decide to get married underneath of that tree but it’s also the place Khayman proposed to Victoria. How sweet is that?

They celebrated their intimate wedding on Friday, May 13th with family and friends. It was very clear that family was important to this couple. Brothers and sisters composed the wedding party and all family (and their friends) helped pitch in to make Victoria and Khayman’s day truly one to never forget. To start, a lifelong family friend officiated their wedding. He remembers bouncing Khayman on his knee when he was a baby. A beautiful three tiered cake was created by another with gorgeous floral detail that accented the couple’s colors perfectly! Their mothers helped pick perfect linens and flowers that tied everything together with just the right touch. The bride’s sister was in charge of the bride’s hair and makeup and it all turned out fabulously.

Being a family run business ourselves, it was really great experiencing that during their wedding as well. It was all kept within the family!